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THE MEKONG DELTA, VIETNAM by THI QUYNH NGOC BUI a Thesis ACCOMMODATING TRADITIONS OF HOSPITALITY IN A TOURIST REGION: THE MEKONG DELTA, VIETNAM by THI QUYNH NGOC BUI A thesis submitted to the University of Birmingham for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Ironbridge International Institute for Cultural Heritage School of History and Cultures College of Arts and Law University of Birmingham September 2018 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. ABSTRACT Hospitality plays a central role in the development of tourism but brings with it its own traditions and is rooted in local heritage and culture. While there has been a significant focus on the ways in which hospitality has been commodified, commercialised and standardised in many parts of the world, less attention has been given to the ways in which existing local traditions of hospitality have and are adapting to the pressures of tourism development. The Mekong Delta region of Vietnam has long been noted (certainly in Vietnam) for its heritage of hospitality. This region, as in many parts of Vietnam, has witnessed the rapid development of tourism over recent years but in the face of limited tangible heritage sites and attractions, it is the more intangible traditions of local hospitality that are now part of the tourist offer. Today, many people in this region are engaged in the tourism sector and the delivery of an ‘expected’ hospitality. This thesis examines the ways in which local traditions of hospitality are changing in the face of pressures to develop domestic and international tourism. Through an empirically grounded investigation this thesis gives insight at the micro-level as to how the practices and performances of local hospitality are changing. By focusing on particular contact zones and in particular the spaces and practices of ‘homestays’, this thesis shows how local traditions of hospitality are being adapted and re-made and that new forms of hospitality are being accommodated by local communities in the face of tourism development and an increasing desire on the part of visitors to gain ever-more intimate and apparently authentic experiences. I examine the inter-linked practices and material culture of local hospitality and how local tourism providers are investing in making the traditions of hospitality manifest in terms of space, physical settings and artefacts. This creates ‘new’ traditions which themselves are being institutionalised and standardised in response to a wider need for local economic development through tourism. Far from being shaped wholly from the outside the local population are very much engaged in changing the traditions they themselves live within. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This research project has been sponsored by the Government of Vietnam. The financial support by the Vietnamese government is gratefully acknowledged. I owe my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Professor Mike Robinson, for his invaluable advice, encouragement, and supervision. My research would never have been completed without his guidance and support. I would like to express my sincere thanks to Dr Helle Jorgensen for her expert advice and support. Thanks also are due to Dr Anna Woodham for her supervision during my 1st year. Special thanks go to Mr Giles Harvey and his wife, Perdita, for understanding and caring. I would like to extend my gratefulness to all friends who did give comments on my thesis, for instance, Giles Harvey, Perdita Harvey, Christopher Medcalf, Mark Winter, Jackie Winter, Harriet Ulph and Sarah Booth. I also would like to acknowledge the assistance and friendship of all current and past lecturers, researchers, and administrative staff of Ironbridge Institute, College of Arts and Law, The University of Birmingham. Their enthusiasm and encouragement have made my research enjoyable and memorable. Finally, I am particularly grateful to my family, mom, dad, sisters, and especially my husband and Sam, for their unconditional patience, and continued support throughout the research period. TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................. 1 1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Research questions and objectives .............................................................................. 4 1.3 The Case Study Region of the Mekong Delta, Vietnam ............................................. 5 1.4 Structure of the thesis .................................................................................................. 7 1.5 Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 9 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................ 11 2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 11 2.2 Traditional guest-host relationships .......................................................................... 12 2.2.1 The nature of encounters .................................................................................... 12 2.2.2 The language of encounters ............................................................................... 15 2.2.3 Contact zones ..................................................................................................... 17 2.2.4 The concept of host ............................................................................................ 19 2.2.5 The concept of guest .......................................................................................... 20 2.3 The local community’s perception and involvement in tourism development and planning ............................................................................................................................... 22 2.3.1 Review of the local community’s perception of tourism development ............. 22 2.3.2 The role of stakeholder collaboration in tourism development and planning .... 25 2.4 Cultures of hospitality ............................................................................................... 28 2.4.1 Hospitality concept............................................................................................. 28 2.4.2 Hospitality studies in a tourist destination ......................................................... 31 2.4.3 Hospitality and host-guest relationship .............................................................. 33 2.5 Application of ‘tradition’ as a concept in tourism ..................................................... 36 2.5.1 The concept of tradition ..................................................................................... 36 2.5.2 How and why are traditions transmitted?........................................................... 38 2.5.3 Consuming tradition in a tourism context .......................................................... 40 2.5.4 Local people as tradition negotiators ................................................................. 41 2.6 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 42 CHAPTER 3: TOURISM IN THE MEKONG DELTA, VIETNAM: CONTEXT AND ISSUES .................................................................................................................................... 46 3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 46 3.2 Overview of Vietnam and tourism development....................................................... 47 3.2.1 Understanding Vietnam ..................................................................................... 47 3.2.2 Vietnam as a tourist destination in the Southeast Asia region ........................... 54 3.3 Overview of Mekong Delta ....................................................................................... 58 3.3.1 Mekong Delta as a peripheral area ..................................................................... 58 3.3.2 Tourism resources in the Mekong Delta ............................................................ 62 3.3.3 Hospitality as a cultural heritage ........................................................................ 65 3.4 Tourism in the Mekong Delta ................................................................................... 69 3.4.1 Overview of the Mekong Delta tourism and current issues ............................... 69 3.4.2 Homestay tourism .............................................................................................. 74 3.5 Stakeholders and their collaboration in the Mekong Delta tourism .......................... 76 3.6 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 79 CHAPTER 4: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ...................................................................
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